1st Round Reactions and a Second Round Preview
With the first night of the draft finished, what can we expect from some of the players taken in day 1, and what should come later this afternoon for round 2?
Last night’s NBA draft was very exciting. We had a trade no one expected in the top 10, a slide for a former top recruit, and tons of movement and exciting fits for teams across the board. Individual breakdowns of every single team will come later this week after the 2nd round is over, and will likely be broken down by division. Let’s not waste any time and jump straight into it.
Biggest Winners:
The Washington Wizards
The Wizards are one of the most obvious winners from draft night this year. Once Atlanta selected Zaccharie Risacher, they had the opportunity to select Alex Sarr out of the NBL at number 2, who is the highest upside player in this class. He will come in and contribute from day 1 defensively. He covers a ton of ground but also knows how to rotate. The offense is a mixed bag, as a lot of his offense is purely theoretical. He could develop into a perimeter player similar to Chet Holmgren or Evan Mobley, but his handle isn’t good enough for the halfcourt, and his jump shot isn’t consistent right now. His passing flashes are good, particularly in the short roll, and his strength limits his ability to play inside right now. This is exactly the kind of swing that Washington should be taking here, seeing that their roster isn’t looking to compete any time soon.
They then also traded Deni Avdija roughly an hour before Sarr was selected for Malcolm Brogdon, pick 14, and a 2029 1st-round pick. With the 14th pick, General Manager Will Dawkins and company would select Bub Carrington out of Pittsburg. Carrington is a guard who can create shots in ball screens and is one of the most developed pull-up scorers in this class. Similar to Sarr, Bub has a high ceiling which is limited by his strength, and unwillingness to get to the rim. Seeing that the only long-term guarantee on the Wizards roster is their lottery selection last season in Bilal Coulibaly, both of these players fit perfectly next to the Frenchman.
Washington stayed busy the rest of the night. And moved up 2 spots in a swap with the New York Knicks to go up and select Kyshawn George out of Miami. George is someone I am a bit lower on, having a 2nd round grade on him, but a project player who can already shoot is another good selection considering the trajectory of the franchise.
Acquiring a future 1st round pick, the highest-rated player on my board, one other lottery pick, and a project 1st rounder was an awesome night for the Washington front office, and there are likely more moves to come this offseason, so it is an exciting time for Wizards fans. They will likely be one of my favorite League Pass teams this upcoming year, and I look for them to show improvement in the quality of basketball, even if the record stays the same. With the strength in the 2025 class, I expect the Wizards to look for Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, Nolan Traore, or others in this upcoming draft with a top selection.
The Oklahoma City Thunder:
I was fascinated to see where the Thunder were going to go in year’s draft, as their contending roster combined with the bevy of picks in Sam Presti’s notorious arsenal meant they could take a quality role player, or take a high upside swing and potentially use picks to acquire a role player via trade. I suspect that the acquisition of Alex Caruso leaned the Thunder away from someone like Devin Carter, and once the board fell the way it did, I expected Nikola Topic or Bub Carrington to be selected. Sam Presti went with the latter, to the dismay of some. The Thunder look to compete, and Topic won’t play from day 1, but I don’t see a player on the board who wouldn’t be a reach for them at 12.
I had Topic in my highest tier despite the knee injury that will likely sideline him for his entire 1st season in the NBA, but I also acknowledge that the Red Star product would’ve required the right fit to go through the process of recovering from his injury. I believe OKC is this fit, as their elite offensive spacing will allow Topic to operate with the ball in his hands in bench units to use his quickness to drive into the lane and create for himself at the rim or for others. I struggle to find a world where he starts unless he develops an ability to shoot off the ball, but OKC has a long history of developing good shooters outside of the recently traded Josh Giddey, and Topic would benefit from this. OKC simultaneously got my best player available for them at 12, as well as getting a good fit for their scheme.
The Thunder then traded 5 second-round picks for pick 26 via the New York Knicks who got the pick from the Washington Wizards approximately 10 minutes earlier to select Dillon Jones. The Thunder’s one weakness all season was a lack of rebounding, and Dillon Jones was an elite rebounder all season at the guard/wing position, and getting a dribble-shoot wing, who is a potential shooter fits the Thunder’s system. Jones played with the ball in his hands a lot at Weber State in a heliocentric system reminiscent of James Harden’s Rockets teams, and if he can scale back that usage along with showing he can shoot off the catch he could be a steal for the Sam Presti and company. Many laughed at the Thunder General Manager saying his squad lacked passing in their playoff series against Dallas, but tonight’s draft showed one thing about Sam Presti’s team-building philosophy: There’s no such thing as too much passing.
The Los Angeles Lakers
Frat boys across the country rejoice! The Lakers added another white boy who gets buckets in reigning SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht. While his jersey may go multiple times platinum on the Frat circuits across the country, the former JUCO player is a steal for Rob Pelinka and company, as Pelinka claims he was unanimously in the top 10 on all their scout’s boards. Many, including myself, also had Knecht inside their top 10, and the Lakers, who look to compete with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, can immediately slot Knecht into their starting lineup or as a sixth man off the bench.
Pelinka also said new coach JJ Redick immediately began drawing up plays for Knecht, and the Lakers added a player who both can mirror JJ’s playstyle as a player, but also an archetype of a player who has worked with LeBron James on past championship teams. JR Smith, Kyle Korver, and Ray Allen are all movement shooters who James has worked with well in the past, and it should be no struggle to integrate Knecht into an offense around James and Davis.
I imagine Knecht fell into the Lakers’ lap due to age and defensive concerns, but Knecht was a part of one of the number 3 defense per Barttorvik, and having Anthony Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt to insulate Knecht will be a bonus. And who knows, someone with Knecht’s athletic tools could begin to defend more.
Kel’el Ware
No, the Miami Heat aren’t winners. I mentioned Ware in my “Guys I am Lower on Article” and I was staggered when they selected him at 15. Ware’s tools are undeniable, but his focus on the defensive end in particular has always worried me. If anyone can fix Kel’el Ware, it’s the Miami Heat.
We all know Coach Eric Spolstra and Team President Pat Riley are absolute masterminds of basketball, but most importantly, good motivators. If anyone can get the most out of the former 5-star recruit, it is likely those two. Ware will have to get his basketball IQ up, and the vigorous Heat system and offseasons of legend are the place to do so. If Ware wants to stay in the league, learning how to improve his focus under “Heat Culture” is where he should want to be.
The Minnesota Timberwolves and Rob Dillingham
Of all the things to happen last night, this was the most surprising. I was watching the Draft with some friends, and I had suggested the Spurs could take Dillingham when Salaun was off the board and after they called his name we all kinda moved on and thought this was a fun fit. We all agreed to not check our phones for spoilers, so when on broadcast they announced he would be traded to Minnesota, we let out a collective “WHAT?!” Safe to say it was a fun moment, but after a moment of thought, I love this fit for both Dillingham and Minnesota.
To be honest I am not sure if Rob Dillingham could ever play in the playoffs. He is simply small and gives little defensive effort. He might be the worst defender I have ever evaluated, but if anyone can make up for that, it’s Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, and the rest of their defensive front.
It was clear by the end of the playoffs the Timberwolves needed another bucket-getter, and they got that in Rob Dillingham. While being undersized, Dillingham does have the ability to play off the ball on offense, so he could slot in next to Anthony Edwards, not just in for Edwards. This is also a win for Dillingham as he gets lottery money while going to an immediate contender that can mask his deficiencies while giving him playing time.
Minnesota also selected Terrence Shannon Jr. out of Illinois, another perimeter player who can get inside the lane and score, but also contributes a bit on the defensive end. Tonight was a great night for the Timberwolves, who added firepower to their roster that was just a top 3 seed in the bloodbath that is the Western Conference, and I will be excited to see how they look this next season.
Biggest Losers:
The Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies selected two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey with the number 9 overall pick, but I don’t think the Memphis Grizzlies are losers because they ended up with Edey. The Grizzlies are losers because they didn’t end up with Donovan Clingan. Throughout this entire process, that was my favorite fit between a team and a player.
I was surprised that neither Charlotte nor Detroit (a topic for another day) traded up with Memphis, who was reportedly willing to trade multiple picks for the pick that would be Clingan. All that being said, I think Edey is the next best thing for the Grizzlies, and I am excited for him to set lethal screens for Ja Morant this season.
Kyle Filipowski and Johnny Furphy
Furphy and Filipowksi were the two players tonight who were in the green room who weren’t selected. This was surprising to me, and I was lower on Furphy but still mocked him in the 1st, and Kyle Filipowksi was inside my top 20. I feel for Furphy in particular, as he said in an interview with Kane Pittman “I think from around 15, that’s when I’ll start getting a bit more tense.” Furphy was also one of the latest players to stay in the draft, and it was a real decision as to whether or not he was going to go back to Lawrence Kansas.
I can’t say I am a fan of the two days for the draft for this reason, and I skeptically think this was done just so that ESPN can get an entire night of Bronny coverage. I hope to see this tradition done away with in the future, and I feel for both of these players as people, who had to sit for three hours only to not have their names called. That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Toronto Raptors are receiving calls about both of these players, as they have the first pick tomorrow.
Second Round Predictions
Is it weird to say I am just as excited for the 2nd round tomorrow? This might just be because Ajay Mitchell is likely to be selected tomorrow, and that is like my personal Christmas. I mentioned with Filipowski and Furphy that teams can call Toronto with offers for the 31st pick because of this new format, along with Bobi Klintman, Tyler Smith, and Tyler Kolek being candidates for this as well.
I would expect the top 10 picks in the second round to include a lot of trades, as teams can go in or move around to select the guy they want at a lower cost, and there are conceivably many names available that teams could’ve had inside their first round. My lukewarm take would be that Tyler Kolek goes to The Bucks at 33. I expected Kolek to be in the running for the squad at 23, and it makes too much sense to grab a backup point guard who can also play off the ball due to superb off-ball shooting, along with keeping the Marquette man in Milwaukee.
My much bolder take would be that Adem Bona goes off the board before Kyle Filipowksi, as a team that covets Bona’s defensive versatility very highly can go up and snag him.