National Basketball Association Draft notes
The National Basketball Association (NBA) later this week will hold its annual Rookie Draft, an event for the competing teams to pick up fresh talents from college and internationally to shore up their respective rosters for next season and beyond.
It is also a must- see affair for NBA fans all over the world to get a glimpse of what the future holds for their favorite teams.
Before the draft unfolds, this space would like to share some notes to arm ourselves with as we sit along and watch it.
The draft order will see Boston (from Brooklyn) picking first, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Sacramento (from Philadelphia) in the first five.
Recent reports have it that Boston is trading away the first pick to Philadelphia for the third pick among other considerations, so we should expect some changes there if it happens.
Picking sixth is Orlando, then Minnesota, New York, Dallas, and Sacramento (from New Orleans).
From 11th to 20th are Charlotte, Detroit, Denver, Miami, Portland, Chicago, Milwaukee, Indiana, Atlanta and Portland.
Oklahoma City, Brooklyn, Toronto, Utah, Orlando, Portland, Brooklyn, Lakers, San Antonio and Utah round out the first round from 21st to 30th.
Because of deals they made previously, world champion Golden State, Cleveland, LA Clippers, Memphis, Houston, New Orleans and Washington do not have pick in the opening round.
A total of 182 players applied for early entry in the 2017 NBA Draft — 137 players from colleges and 45 international players — but that number has been reduced with some players opting to withdraw.
In 2016, a record number of freshmen, 14, were selected in the rookie draft but this year it is expected to be topped by a solid group of first-year collegiate players, some of whom are expected to figure prominently in the top 10.
The top freshmen being considered in the draft include Bam Adebayo (Kentucky), Jarrett Allen (Texas), Ike Anigbogu (UCLA), Lonzo Ball (UCLA), Zach Collins (Gonzaga), De’Aaron Fox (Kentucky), Markelle Fultz ( Washington), Harry Giles ( Duke), Jonathan Isaac ( Florida State), Josh Jackson ( Kansas), TJ Leaf ( UCLA), Lauri Markkanen ( Arizona), Malik Monk (Kentucky), Justin Patton (Creighton), Dennis Smith ( NC State) and Jayson Tatum (Duke).
Fultz, Ball, Jackson, Monk, Tatum and Fox have been steady fixtures in the top 6 in the mock drafts of pundits and observers.
Top international players, who didn’t play for a US college, being considered highly for this draft are Isaiah Hartenstein ( Germany), Jonathan Jeanne (France), Rodions Kurucs (Latvia), Frank Ntilikina (France) and Anzejs Pasecniks (Latvia).
It is also worth noting that since the draft lottery began in 1985, four of 32 No. 1 overall picks have won an NBA championship with the team that drafted them: David Robinson ( San Antonio Spurs, 1987), Tim Duncan ( Spurs, 1997), LeBron James ( Cleveland Cavaliers, 2003) and Kyrie Irving ( Cavaliers, 2011).
Also, the first round is not only the source of quality talent as last year the second round produced some steady players with the likes of Malcolm Brogdon ( 36th) of Milwaukee, who is in the running for rookie of the year, as well as Patrick McCaw of Golden State ( 37th), Lakers’ Ivica Zubac ( 32nd), the Phoenix Suns’ Tyler Ulis ( 34th) and the Chicago Bulls’ Paul Zipser ( 49th).
Before them there were the likes of Draymond Green, Manu Ginobili, Carlos Boozer and Isaiah Thomas who were picked in the second round but went on to become NBA All- Stars.
In the early days, the draft used to last as long as teams desired, with the proceedings ending only when every team tired of calling out names. In 1973, the draft lasted 20 rounds. In 1974, the league adopted a 10-round NBA Draft, a format that stayed in place until 1985, when it was scaled back to seven rounds. After three years of seven-round drafts, the draft was shaved to three rounds in 1988 and to its current length of two rounds in 1989.
There you have it, some notes to guide you as the NBA Draft happens. This year seems to be an intriguing edition with a lot of possibilities. I cannot wait how the proceedings will pan out.