Philadelphia 76ers (1) | Ben Simmons, Australia | PF
(24) | Timothy Luwawu, France | G
(26) | Furkan Korkmaz, Turkey | G
After a few years of being stuck in a holding pattern, churning through assets under Sam Hinkie waiting for a franchise star to build around, the Philadelphia 76ers finally got their guy in Australia’s Ben Simmons.
Certainly, there’s still some positional imbalance across the roster with Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid, and potentially Dario Saric all crowded in the frontcourt. But the arrival of Simmons gives some clarity of identity and direction at last.
After missing out on Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony Towns in consecutive drafts, the 76ers got a player who probably falls somewhere between the two. He’s a transformational talent with obvious flaws. A player who will need some time to develop and the right pieces around him, but should anchor Philadelphia’s program for years to come. At 6-foot-10, Ben Simmons has a point guard’s ball skills, passing, and court vision in an athletic power forward’s body. The most important thing to know is his passing and IQ are of the rare quality that can elevate everyone else around him.
Picture, for a moment, Boris Diaw during the San Antonio Spurs’ 2014 championship run. Diaw was, by no means, a superstar. But given the right matchup to leverage, he could pick apart teams as readily as any star.
Simmons has that type of ability, only with the physical tools and versatility to access it on a much larger scale. He’s too big for smaller players, and too skilled and athletic for most players of similar builds to defend—which should allow him to consistently stress defenses enough to open up those passing lanes. And it only takes a little. As Dwyane Wade or Giannis Antetkounmpo have proven, you don’t need three-point range to generate gravity with the ball in your hands.
Only a flawed jumper hampers his skill set and offers defenses a reprieve, which gave rise to some discussion about Duke’s Brandon Ingram as the potential no. 1 overall pick thanks to his length and shooting—as well as his presence on a superior Duke team.
But Simmons already has that innate ability to pick apart an entire team directly; even while his jumper is a work in progress. That provides a lot more flexibility when building a roster around him. Ingram, at least as things stand now, will still need to lean on creators putting him into proper position while figuring out how to connect his own shooting and scoring to a greater team offense.
With their other two first round picks, the 76ers grabbed potential three-and-D wings to begin balancing out their roster—with one of the two likely to be stashed overseas for at least one season.
For more on the Philadelphia 76ers draft from Bryan Toporek, Click Here.
Los Angeles Lakers (2) | Brandon Ingram, Duke
(32) | Ivica Zubac, Croatia | C
Keeping their lottery pick was a victory in its own right, but for the Los Angeles Lakers to land the second overall pick and the rights to Brandon Ingram—one of two tabbed stars from this draft—was serendipity.
Ingram’s frame and shooting draw comparisons to Kevin Durant, though his ceiling likely doesn’t extend that high. Durant actually weighed more than Ingram did at the time of his draft, and there are some questions about Ingram’s ability to add strength and elusiveness off the dribble. In order to fully maximize his ability, Ingram will need to improve both in order to turn the corner on defenders and collapse defenses.
Fortunately, next to D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, and Julius Randle—under the direction of Luke Walton—the Lakers should be able to get Ingram in space, working, at times, on the fringes of the defense’s attention. Ingram has a high basketball IQ and should be able to work off the ball and attack closeouts while he gets his feet wet as a primary scoring option.
Defensively, his lack of strength and mediocre lateral quickness are concerning, but his overall length and mobility should make him at least a plus team defender over time in the right system. And as Ingram fills out, he should have the versatility to play either forward position, offering the Lakers lineup flexibility as they pursue other big stars via free agency and trade.
Boston Celtics (3) | Jaylen Brown, California | SF
(16) | Guerschon Yabusele, France | PF
(23) | Ante Zizic, Croatia | C
(45) | Demetrius Jackson, Notre Dame | PG
(51) | Ben Bentil, Providence | PF
(58) | Abdel Nader, Iowa State | PF
The Boston Celtics entered draft night with eight picks–including the third overall pick and two other first rounders–a roster full of solid rotation players on value contracts, and all the incentive in the world to deal for a star player.
They ended it with Jaylen Brown, another one or two potential fourth or fifth starters, and draft and stash prospects and flotsam. Forget whatever the Philadelphia 76ers fans went through, this is the part of the process where trust becomes difficult–when expectations start to press against patience.
After Simmons and Ingram, Brown presents, possibly, the next highest ceiling and the Celtics’ best chance at a star with the pick. That he wasn’t necessarily considered the next best prospect should speak to his boom or bust potential. At 6-foot-7 and a solid 223 pounds, Brown has elite athleticism and an NBA body capable of holding up at either forward position; though his handle and jumper will need refinement to be more than just another solid starter for the Celtics.
In a way, the selection is rolling over the asset, giving the Celtics a longer term project with a high ceiling and positional flexibility. They’re already solidly a playoff team, though still decidedly not in the realm of contention. Brown helps as another trade chip who can contribute now. It’s also important to note that Boston still has swap rights with the Brooklyn Nets draft pick next summer, and one more unprotected pick coming from a team that just traded its second best player, Thaddeus Young.
It only takes one domino to fall to get the ball rolling, but it has to be the right one. The Celtics now have some depth to package Jae Crowder with one of the remaining Nets’ picks without feeling too much pain. And now, the Celtics should give no pause to packaging any number of their young pieces to get an elite talent. Finding these solid fourth or fifth starters is much easier. After all, the Celtics have almost an entire roster of them.
Phoenix Suns (4) | Dragan Bender, Croatia | PF,
(8) | Marquese Chriss, Washington | PF
(34) | Tyler Ilis, Kentucky | PG
With defenses increasingly geared to wall off spread pick and rolls, the power forward has become the positional high ground in the battle between offenses and defenses.
Defenses mark shooters on the wings and drop back to protect the rim, leaving the power forward as either the pressure release valve or pick and pop option against any pressure the point guard might face. As such, it’s become a very important source of secondary playmaking.
In Dragan Bender, the Suns have a modern NBA playmaking four who should fill the starting position for years—even if he never develops into a star.
During their surprising run in former coach Jeff Hornacek’s first season, the Phoenix Suns’ offense swung like a pendulum between Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe, with Channing Frye working like an anchor point at the top of the key with his three-point shooting. Bender can space the floor (though not to the same extent yet) and work as a bridge that moves the ball from Bledsoe to Knight to Devin Booker pick and rolls seamlessly.
Bender is a fluid athlete for his size, and his quality ball skills and high basketball IQ should allow him to read the floor quickly and make plays in space—prerequisites for the modern NBA power forward—once his frame, athleticism, skills, and experience catch up for his innate feel for the game. With the bevy of weapons the Suns have on the perimeter in Bledsoe, Knight, and Booker, Bender could be the link that connects each piece of the offense to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts.
Marquese Chriss is likewise a versatile combo forward whose strengths lean more towards athleticism than Bender’s grasp of the game. The Suns consolidated the no. 13 and 28 picks, along with Bogdan Bogdanovic, to add a higher-upside talent, and have yet another combo forward pairing—albeit with less the volatility than the Morris brothers.
Tyler Ilis in the second round could develop into a solid backup point guard should the Suns clear the logjam in the backcourt this summer to free up more minutes and touches for Booker, whose development should be a top priority.
Minnesota Timberwolves (5) | Kris Dunn | PG
With perhaps their last dip into the top 5 draft pool, the Minnesota Timberwolves picked the best point guard prospect in the draft. Dunn should be a favorite of Tom Thibodeau with his ability to guard multiple positions. Of course, they already have one such player in Ricky Rubio. Both have unreliable jumpers, though Dunn possesses better scoring instincts and Rubio is the superior playmaker (though Dunn has some creative flair here as well).
Rubio is young enough to fit the Timberwolves’ timeline around Wiggins and Towns, while still possessing enough veteran leadership to positively influence the team. There isn’t enough shooting across the roster to pair them in the backcourt offensively, so this pick certainly opens up trade possibilities. In an era where point guards have never been more important, Minnesota is the rare team able to take a young, long term starter at point guard to the trade market without severely weakening the position on their own roster.
Given the youth of their core, the Timberwolves don’t have to make any hasty moves. But given Thibodeau’s reputation for winning now at all costs, expect something sooner rather than later.
New Orleans Pelican (6) | Buddy Hield, Oklahoma | SG
(33) | Cheick Diallo, Kansas | PF
The New Orleans Pelicans were a mess last season amid injuries and an oddly constructed roster. With Buddy Hield, they got arguably the best shooter in the draft, who also offers some scoring punch.
Anthony Davis is perhaps the most devastating screening weapon in the NBA this side of Dirk Nowitzki. His shooting clears passing and driving lanes for any player with even a hint of dribble penetration talent, and his ability to force rotation help on dives makes reads simple for ball handlers. With Hield’s talent for draining jumpers off the dribble, their respective gravity could be enough to tug and pull defenses until they’re ripped apart.
If Jrue Holiday is healthy, his versatility to run the offense, play off the ball, and guard both backcourt positions should allow Hield to thrive. And perhaps both together in the backcourt allow Tyreke Evans to keep enough touches as the primary ball handler. New Orleans also already has a feel for Hield’s fit on the team, with the Oklahoma star stepping in as an immediate replacement for Eric Gordon.
In the second round, the Pelicans tabbed a project to try and shore up their pitiful defense with Diallo, who has the physical attributes of a potential lottery pick but is too raw to project actual basketball skills. If he can use his length and mobility to disrupt opposing offenses and work as a functional dive man in pick and rolls, he could be a nice option next to Davis in limited minutes.
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Denver Nuggets (7) | Jamal Murray, Kentucky | G
(15) | Juan Hernangomez, Spain | PF
(19) | Malik Beasley, SG | Florida State
(53) | Petr Cornelle, France | PF
The Denver Nuggets were in the envious position of having a balanced roster of young, promising talent. They had no urgent need to upgrade any one position, and so had the flexibility to address a primary weakness–shooting–from whatever position they could find it, and did well with their cadre of first round picks.
Jamal Murray is a great fit for the Nuggets as a rival to Hield in terms of shooting ability, with better playmaking chops and craft with the ball in his hands. Murray and Emmanuel Mudiay should be interchangeable in the backcourt, with Mudiay capable of sliding over to the more problematic defensive assignment. And Mudiay’s own drive and kick ability should keep Murray from receiving the defense’s full attention, where his lack of elite athleticism might be exposed.
Hernangomez will need some time to adjust to the NBA game, but with the Nuggets timetable and his shooting ability from the power forward position, he could make Danilo Gallinari expendable on the trade market if he’s not a draft-and-stash candidate. Beasley is another shooter in the backcourt with a bit of redundancy, but the NBA can never have too much shooting, and as the Nuggets try to consolidate some of its young assets into one elite player, they’ll likely have to part with some shooting to make it happen.
For more on Murray, click here to read Cody Daniel’s draft profile.
Toronto Raptors (9) | Jakob Poeltl, Utah | C
(27) | Pascal Siakam, New Mexico State | PF
The Toronto Raptors had a successful season, reaching their first Eastern Conference Finals. But success brings its own set of problems. Backup center Bismack Biyombo almost certainly played his way out of Toronto’s price range, and so with the rare lottery pick for a playoff team, they nabbed a backup center to hold serve rather than building on what they already had.
Poeltl is large and athletic with some impressive defensive tools and far more offensive ability than Biyombo offered. But it’s hard to see how he and Jonas Valanciunas fit together on the court, placing a minutes ceiling on perhaps their last lottery pick this current iteration of the Raptors will have.
Of course, if Poeltl exceeds expectations, he could also make Valanciunas expendable enough to diversify their roster via trade.
Milwaukee Bucks (10) | Thon Maker, Australia | PF
Now a full season removed from their playoff run in 2014, the Milwaukee Bucks continue to show restraint with their timetable, drafting Thon Maker, a 7-foot-1 long term project.
With Giannis Antetkounmpo emerging as a do-it-all forward turned point guard, and Khris Middleton on the wings, the Bucks have potential as a positionless collection of long-armed athletes; and Maker’s standing 9-foot-3 reach, mobility, and shooting range certainly fits into that mold if he develops properly. And that IF is a risky proposition.
Maker’s length and mobility are tailor made for the swarming defensive schemes coach Jason Kidd utilized during Milwaukee’s playoff run, but his defensive awareness is a ways off from managing the coordination needed to pull off such an attack. His slight frame also leaves him vulnerable to larger front court players.
Offensively, he shows some shooting range, and if he can develop along the lines of a lesser Serge Ibaka, he’ll be a boon to a Bucks team that needs to hide one weak defender (Jabari Parker) and space the floor for one wayward shooter (Antetkounmpo). An Antetkounmpo-centric offense probably works better than a more egalitarian system with Maker, who—for all his mobility—isn’t quick to read the floor and make decisions. Though he has some ability to put the ball on the floor, his handle is much weaker than he thinks it is. The simpler the responsibilities, the better.
Milwaukee has already identified its star in Antetkounmpo, has a quality sidekick in Middleton, and a promising scoring option in Parker. It should be able to fill in some gaps via free agency in the way of role players, and this appears to be one last, giant (and risky) swing for a difference maker before they reach that point. Of course, they already have two strikes with the Michael Carter-Williams trade and Greg Monroe signing. A third big miss at this point in their development, with what might be their last prime asset, could try even the most patient timetable.
Oklahoma City Thunder (11) | Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga | PF
(56) | Daniel Hamilton, Connecticut | SF
The Oklahoma City Thunder made the biggest splash on draft night, sending Serge Ibaka out for Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova, and Sabonis. While the Thunder lose some floor spacing and versatility on the defensive end–Ibaka’s athleticism caused major headaches for the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors–they receive a talent injection in Oladipo, who pairs with Westbrook to form a dynamic backcourt with terrifying athleticism.
Sabonis is a strong body with a great feel for the game, but it’s hard to see where he fits with Steven Adams and Enes Kanter in the rotation unless Sam Presti can find a taker for Kanter. While the trade may have stirred some excitement in Oklahoma City, it would be a mistake to underestimate what the team loses with Ibaka going to Orlando.
To read more about the trade, read James Holas’ post by clicking here.
Atlanta Hawks (12) | Taurean Prince, Baylor | SF
(21) | DeAndre’ Bembry, Saint Joseph’s | SF
(44) | Isaia Cordinier, France | SG
The Atlanta Hawks have been victims of their own success to a certain degree, finding wings off the scrap heap on short, value deals and developing them into useful three-and-D wings who eventually play their way out of Atlanta’s price range.
And yet, they’ve still had no answer for LeBron James, physically. DeMarre Carroll was hobbled against the Cleveland Cavaliers in their Eastern Conference Finals matchup a year ago, and Kent Bazemore was too small these past playoffs.
In a three-team trade that sent Jeff Teague to the Indiana Pacers, George Hill to the Utah Jazz, and a lottery pick to Atlanta, the Hawks picked up Prince–a promising three-and-D wing for a team with a great track record of developing them. A few picks later they nabbed Bembry as another versatile wing, albeit one whose shot is in need of repair.
This draft gives the Hawks time to develop quality wings without having to worry about losing them a year or two later. So much of the rest of the offseason will depend on whether or not they can retain Al Horford and how ready Dennis Schroeder is to handle the point guard position full-time.
Sacramento Kings (13) | Georgios Papagiannis, Greece | C
(22) | Malachi Richardson, Syracuse | SG
(28) | Skal Labissiere, Kentucky | C
(59) | Isaiah Cousins, Oklahoma | SG
The general consensus about this draft was that it was light on top end talent but deep in rotational players. With that in mind, the Sacramento Kings–a team bereft of assets and depth–did well to trade back for more picks (unloading Marco Belinelli in the process) if you believe there wasn’t a large gap in talent.
What they did with the picks, however, was enough to make DeMarcus Cousins pray to God for strength.
Papagiannis is a talented throwback center in an NBA increasingly mitigating the advantages of having one. Worse, he’s another player who plays Cousins’ natural center position on a roster that already has Willie Cauley-Stein (last year’s lottery pick) and Kosta Koufos. With an expensive aging wing in Rudy Gay, whose best position is power forward. Then they went and added yet another Kentucky big man in Skal Labissiere.
A lot of criticism has been directed at Cousins, but this is an organization with absolutely no direction or vision wasting some of the prime years of his career. Unless the play is to trade Cousins immediately to start yet another rebuild in earnest, this draft makes no sense.
Chicago Bulls (14) | Denzel Valentine , Michigan State | SF
(48) | Paul Zipser, Germany | SF
With the hiring of Fred Hoiberg, the Chicago Bulls signaled a desire to transition to a modern NBA pace-and-space offense. By trading Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks, they’ve committed to doing so by building around Jimmy Butler.
Between Rose, Butler, and Pau Gasol, the Bulls simply had too many ball stoppers and not enough shooters to run Hoiberg’s preferred system. With Valentine, they address both problems. Valentine can space the floor for Chicago and share some of the playmaking responsibilities without dominating the ball next to Butler on the wings. And though he’s limited athletically, he’s a tough player who should be able to execute the team’s defensive schemes while deferring the tougher matchup to Butler. Zipser has the potential to develop into a three-and-D combo forward.
Perhaps the most important thing the Bulls could have done this offseason was to settle on an identity, and with Valentine, they have a good start in the right direction.
Memphis Grizzlies (17) | Wade Baldwin IV, Vanderbilt | PG
(31) | Deyonta Davis, Michigan State | PF
(35) | Rade Zagorac, Serbia | SF
(57) | Wang Zhelin, China | C
By the end of the season, the Memphis Grizzlies were held together by little more than duct tape and their grit and grind mantra. This offseason, they could lose the point guard who ties everything together if Mike Conley leaves.
With that in mind, Memphis did well to select Baldwin, who could potentially play alongside Conley or act as insurance in case he leaves.
Baldwin is a strong defender who would do well to learn from Tony Allen. He has a developing three-point shot that would give the Grizzlies some much needed off-ball spacing if Conley stays. Whatever deficits he might have as a primary playmaker would be mitigated by Marc Gasol’s ability to run the offense from the center position. Davis is a lively, lengthy body to develop as Zach Randolph continues to age and decline.
For a team that can potentially go in so many different directions, it’s rare to get a draft haul that suits wherever the offseason winds might take them. Memphis didn’t have much to work with, but got the most out of what they did.
Detroit Pistons (18) | Henry Ellenson, Marquette | PF
(49) | Michael Gbinije, Syracue | SF
Stan Van Gundy continues to fill out his roster with guys that suit his style, and Henry Ellenson could be a steal. The 7-footer has enough skill and versatility to pair with Andre Drummond against certain matchups, and should provide an upgrade over Aron Baynes backing him up. Gbinije isn’t an impressive athlete, but Van Gundy has gotten a lot of mileage out of wings who can shoot and create out of the pick and roll, and he’s at least an interesting prospect in that regard.
Brooklyn Nets (20) | Caris LeVert, Michigan | SG
(42) | Isaiah Whitehead, Seton Hall | SG
The Brooklyn Nets have plenty of cap space this summer, but in trading Thaddeus Young to the Indiana Pacers for a first round pick, they’ve signaled their intent for a more patient and realistic timetable.
Trading Young makes an already undesirable free agent destination (from a basketball standpoint) less appealing. But in LeVert, Sean Marks is swinging for a high upside pick with a versatile wing with good shooting range and the length to defend three positions. The risk is health concerns (foot), but with the 20th pick in the draft, it’s a much more tolerable pain if it doesn’t work out than, say, a Joel Embiid would be.
Whitehead is an unrepentant gunner with some ability to get to the basket who should get a long look this year on the Nets’ talent depleted roster. He’ll be a good project for new head coach Kenny Atkinson, who’s credited with working with Jeremy Lin during his time with the New York Knicks.
Los Angeles Clippers (25) | Brice Johnson, North Carolina | PF
(39) | David Michineau
(40) | Diamond Stone
The Los Angeles Clippers continue to churn through rotational filler in an attempt to find viable depth to support their talented core. Brice Johnson is an athletic forward who can make a ton of energy plays. But his lack of shooting range only serves to exasperate the Clippers’ spacing problems alongside Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan. Stone offers some offensive versatility whose athletic limitations and position likely limit his time on the floor. Michineau is an athletic guard who mirrors some of the strengths and weaknesses of Austin Rivers, though without the lottery pedigree.
Though there wasn’t much to work with, it’s disappointing to see the Clippers not aim for players who might play more than spot minutes throughout the regular season.
San Antonio Spurs (29) | Dejounte Murray, Washington | PG
Last season, the San Antonio Spurs’ offense was still remarkably efficient (108.4 points per 100 possessions, third in the NBA), but far less dynamic than it was during their 2014 championship run.
Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili (should he return for one more season) are mere role players at this point in their careers, and the lack of punch via dribble penetration was glaring in their second round exit at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In Dejounte Murray, the Spurs get a guard with some creativity off the dribble and life in his legs. Murray has an instinctive knack for dribble penetration with a nice floater game and full repertoire of change of pace and direction dribble moves. His first notion is to score, though he’s shown some creative passing ability. He also displays an aggressiveness attacking that Hill or Joseph lacked in San Antonio, though at the cost of being turnover prone.
Murray’s elite size for his position (6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan) also potentially addresses another weakness for the Spurs, whose slight point guards (Parker and Patty Mills) left them vulnerable to larger backcourts on the defensive end—though he was more defensive playmaker than stopper due to uneven effort on that end.
If Ginobili retires, the Spurs will need someone to create on the second unit; potentially paving the way for some regular season minutes. It’s also important to note the Spurs track record in fixing shots (one of Murray’s most glaring questions) and developing late first round point guards (Tony Parker, George Hill, Cory Joseph). San Antonio already has the perfect blueprint for integrating a score first point guard into an offense without disrupting its balance. If the Spurs can weaponize Murray in a similar fashion—even if to a lesser degree—they’ll have another intriguing young piece to keep this run going.
Golden State Warriors (30) | Damian Jones, Vanderbilt | C
(38) | Patrick McCaw, UNLV | SG
The Death Lineup remains the best 5-man unit in all of basketball, but the NBA Finals proved over reliance on it can be a slippery slope. Harrison Barnes was inconsistent, and Festus Ezeli and Anderson Varejao were appalling options.
When Andrew Bogut left the series with an injury, the Golden State Warriors badly missed the 10-15 minutes of solid play he may have offered. Now, Ezeli is in line for a hefty pay raise, and Bogut’s health will be a concern from now until his retirement. In Damian Jones, the Warriors get an absurdly athletic insurance policy in case Ezeli receives an offer Golden State is reluctant to match, and a potential long term project to develop to replace Bogut.
His athleticism reminds of DeAndre Jordan, and it’s worth mentioning the Warriors once extended an offer to the Clippers’ big man before he grew into the center he is today.
McCaw is another lengthy wing who can defend multiple positions and make plays with the ball. He should be able to spell an aging Andre Iguodala during the regular season to preserve him for the playoffs, and could develop into a replacement as the Warriors’ wing players either age out or grow too expensive to retain.
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