South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Draft
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1. Minnesota Timberwolves, LaMelo Ball: By now it has become clear that the guard who spent last season in Australia has positioned himself as the draft’s top pick. Whether that means he is going to the ‘Wolves is another story.
2. Golden State Warriors, James Wiseman: How long have the Warriors been searching for the right big man to complement the
3-point game? The answer could be at hand as the result of their gap season with a big man out of (briefly) Memphis.
3. Charlotte Hornets, Anthony Edwards: In today’s NBA, take the sure wing thing, keep it simple with the freshman guard out of Georgia, and call it a day. There appear to be a clear top three in this draft with (in some order) Ball, Wiseman and Edwards.
4. Chicago Bulls, Deni Avdija: A more traditional big man would work best here, but that would require trading up for Wiseman. So, instead, the 19-year-old playmaker out of Israel can become Billy Donovan’s first Bulls project.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers, Obi Toppin: Any turnaround in Cleveland likely will come from dynamic young talent, so, with the forward out of Dayton, add another to Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Kevin Porter Jr., Dylan Windler, and see how it shakes out.
6. Atlanta Hawks, Tyrese Halliburton: Forget the positional designation alongside Trae Young. Think of the guard out of Iowa State as stability alongside sizzle, as the Hawks continue to assemble pieces before having to figure it all out.
7. Detroit Pistons, Onyeka Okongwu: The Pistons have been punting on big men for a while, including, most recently, Andre Drummond. Now there is an opportunity to land the big man out of Southern Cal with the type of skill set to thrive in today’s NBA.
8. New York: Killian Hayes: The
Knicks (like the Jets and Giants) have been looking for an answer at quarterback for a while. In the Florida-born guard out of France they can land a floor general capable of executing what Tom Thibodeau is attempting to implement.
9. Washington Wizards, Isaac Okoro: Assuming the mix remains Bradley Beal and John Wall in the backcourt, and with Rui Hachimura and Thomas Bryant up front, there is a case for selecting the dominant Auburn wing defender.
10. Phoenix Suns, Devin Vassell: While a statement was made with the perfect 8-0 in the Disney bubble, this remains a team in growth mode. In the Florida State forward, there is a 3-and-D wing to add to the mix.
11. San Antonio Spurs: Patrick Williams: In what increasingly is looking like a San Antonio ongoing rebuild (especially if LaMarcus Aldridge and/or DeMar DeRozan move on), the raw Florida State forward could be the ultimate Gregg Popovich project.
12. Sacramento Kings, R.J. Hampton: Much of the direction here could come down to what happens with Buddy Hield. But with the Texas-born guard who spent last season in New Zealand there would be an intriguing, active backcourt alongside De’Aaron Fox.
13. New Orleans Pelicans, Aaron Nesmith: Stan Van Gundy got the Magic to the NBA Finals by loading up with shooters around a star power player (Dwight Howard). Now there is the opportunity to do the same for Zion Williamson with the Vanderbilt wing.
14. Boston Celtics (from Memphis), Precious Achiuwa: With all due respect to Daniel Theis, there is something to be said about adding the big man out of Memphis to grow with the rest of the youth on the Celtics’ front line.
15. Orlando Magic, Kira Lewis Jr.: With all due respect to D.J. Augustin, and with appreciation for Markelle Fultz’s road back, if the opportunity is there for a point guard of the future, the Magic have to seize it. The Alabama guard
would be quality value at the midpoint of the first round.
16. Portland Trail Blazers, Saddiq Bey: The scoring and backcourt will be covered as long as Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are in place. But there simply has to be more on the wing than Portland offered last season. The Villanova
3-and-D forward would be a starting point.
17. Minnesota (from Brooklyn via Atlanta), Tyrese Maxey: Some have the aggressive Kentucky guard going even earlier, even with the shooting issues. For the Timberwolves it has to be all about talent accumulation. Then sort it out after the draft.
18. Dallas Mavericks, Josh Green: With Luke Doncic so ball dominant, the perfect complement is a spot-up shooter with the ability to fill the lanes at speed. At the least, the Arizona forward would be an upgrade on Dallas’ depth.
19. Brooklyn Nets (from Philadelphia via LA Clippers), Aleksej Pokusevski: While it is all about living in the moment with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, the lesson from the Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce Era is what comes next. That gives the Serbian ballhanding big man time to grow.
20. MIAMI HEAT, Desmond Bane: Depending on what happens in free agency with Jae Crowder and Derrick Jones Jr., and knowing a successor for Andre Iguodala will be needed sooner rather than later, a case certainly can be made for the senior shooter and defender out of Texas Christian.
21. Philadelphia (from Oklahoma City via Orlando and Philadelphia), Tyrell Terry: There figures to be little subterfuge here. Take the best shooter, the best pure shooter, and again space the floor for Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The Stanford guard fits that to a T.
22. Denver (from Houston), Jalen Smith: With Nikola Jokic orchestrating the offense and Jamal Murray to otherwise have the ball in his hands, the Maryland big man would provide a complementary presence.
23. Utah Jazz, Malachi Flynn: There comes a point in the draft where you have to get past size and other measurables and assess the productivity. These are the type of moments you seize with a player such as the San Diego State guard.
24. Milwaukee Bucks (from Indiana), Cole Anthony: The Bucks, facing the potential loss of Giannis Antetokounmpo, need to assemble as much of intrigue as possible. The North Carolina guard could stand as the ultimate in draft boom or bust.
25. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Denver), Jaden McDaniels: The Thunder clearly are going back to developmental mode, loaded with picks in coming seasons. The Washington wing fits well into such a process.
26. Boston, Isaiah Stewart: This certainly could be a spot for the Celtics to take a draft-and-stash overseas player. But is also is an opportunity to muscle up inside with the Washington big man and get back some of what was lost with the loss of Aron Baynes.
27. New York (from LA Clippers), Tre Jones: The Knicks did not bring in Thibodeau and Leon Rose for the long play, nor for a draft and stash. This is a spot that would make sense with the Duke guard.
28. Los Angeles Lakers, Theo Maledon: Not sure LeBron James has any time for rookie development, but there will be a post-LeBron era for a team that gave up all its youth for Anthony Davis. With the French guard, there would be a bridge to the future.
29. Toronto Raptors, Xavier Tillman: There eventually will have to be a remake in the power rotation after Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka move on. The Michigan big man could prove intriguing in a frontcourt mix with Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby.
30. Boston (from Milwaukee via Phoenix), Leandro Bolmaro: This stands as perhaps the ultimate draft-and-stash slot for Boston or a trade partner, allowing the Argentine playmaker to continue to develop with Barcelona.