Today is the day that All NBA teams look at as the day to start the rebuilding process or to find that final piece to make a run at a championship. For some teams, this is the third, forth or even fifth year in a row drafting in the top 5. However, every year brings new opportunities to improve your team as a whole. Today I am looking at the first 14 picks commonly known as the NBA draft lottery picks.
1) Cleveland Cavaliers: Victor Oladipo (SG Indiana)
The Cavaliers already have on of the top point guards in the league in Kyrie Irving and young talent in Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson. However on the defensive side of the ball they lack the physicality that you would like to compete with the Chicagos and Bostons let alone the Miami Heat. Oladipo adds a defensive presence mixed with the ability to drive to the hoop and score and is not afraid to bang bodies and dive on the ground for a loose ball. The NBA is now a league that likes to go “small” and play SG at the SF position in order to speed the game up and Oladipo fits that frame tremendously. If the Cavaliers can stay healthy for the majority of the season, they could be looking at the 8th seed in a very weak Eastern Conference.
2) Orlando Magic: Nerlens Noel (C Kentucky)
The Orlando Magic will be drafting inside the top 10 for the first time since drafting the face of their franchise Dwight Howard, so who else should they draft then the best big man this year. Noel is an athletic big man with tremendous length and great instincts when it comes to blocking shots, but needs a lot of work on the offensive end. Hoever in the case of a team like the Orlando Magic that will rebuilding for many years in the future, they dont need to worry about offensive. When Noel steps on the floor this fall, The Magic will know that their interior defense will be better than it was this year, and anything Noel gives on the offensive end is an added bonus.
3) Washington Wizards: Anthony Bennett (PF UNLV)
The Wizards were on a lot of peoples radars this past year and had the possibility to make a run at the playoffs this year. However injuries to their best player John Wall and last years number 3 pick Bradley Beal here the Wizards sit again. When looking at the Wizards roster of players, after Wall and Beal, there is a major drop off in scoring and offensive presence and Anthony Bennett can easily change that. Bennett is a 6’8 forward that can step out and consistently hit a jump shot. Then the next time down the floor get the ball in the post and score as well. He is a matchup nightmare in the NBA if he can stay in shape and improve his defense. Entering a locker room with bigs Nene and Okafor, his defense has a couple of years to develop from two excellent players.
4) Charlotte Bobcats: Alex Len (C Maryland)
It was a complete toss up to me for the Bobcats selection between McLemore of Kansas and Alex Len. What it came down to in my mind was what do the Bobcats need help with immediately and the answer is a big man to rebound. Alex Len was 5th in the ACC in total rebounding and 2nd in terms of offensive rebounds which means more scoring possibilities for a team that ranked 26th in points per game. Although Len was dealing with injuries towards the end of the season and into this off season, he is expected to be ready for training camp and ready to make an impact of whatever team selects him.
5) Phoenix Suns: Otto Porter Jr. (SF Georgetown)
Im not 100% sold on Otto Porter’s ability and that he should be a top pick in this years draft. He defiantly showed some moments of brightness and the ability to take a game over. However, teams were able to figure out how to stop him from scoring and neutralize his effectiveness and when his team needed him the most, he could not beat the 15th seed Florida Gulf Coast. With all that said, he is a poor mans LeBron James. A 6’9 forward that can handle the ball like a point guard, shoot like a shooting guard, and play defense like a forward. He has the chance to be the future face of the Suns franchise and take them to the next level.
6) New Orleans Pelicans: Trey Burke (PG Michigan)
Intangibles. Thats the word that comes to mind when I think of Trey Burke. The National Player of the Year. Wooden Award Winner. National Championship runner-up. Trey Burke is just a pure point guard in all ways you could think. His vision is top notch along with his strength to complete passes that other PG can not. He is a coach on the floor that can get players attention and get players to listen. This is all before mentioning he can flip a switch and drop 20 the blink of an eye and grab 5 rebounds. Burke has all of the attributes to be a top flight NBA PG and with a young talent in Anthony Davis, his transition will be a lot smoother.
7) Sacramento Kings: Ben McLemore (SG Kansas)
The Kings are an interesting team seeing as they always have the talent to make a run towards the playoffs yet keep disappointing. As this offseason develops, we see that the Kings most likely will lose some of that talen in the shape of Tyreke Evens and maybe even Demarcus Cousins. So what should the Kings do, draft this years Tyreke Evens out of Kansas. McLemore has the best potential in this years draft to be a 25 PPG scorer and be a perennial all star, it all depends if the Kings can keep McLemore’s on switch up. The upside on McLemore is to high and if the worst that he Kings get is Evens 2.0 thats the worst possible outcome.
8) Detroit Pistons: Cody Zeller (C Indiana)
If you told me 8 months ago that Cody Zeller would be the second Indiana player taken I would have laughed, but that is how things have turned out here on draft day. Zeller is a force inside that can grab the tough offensive and defensive rebounds as well as score from the outside. The Pistons already have a solid center in Greg Monroe but dont have a power forward which Zeller could transform into with some coaching and practice. Zeller is built small to begin with and is very agile and can move very quick latterly allowing him to defend smaller players on the perimeter. This also opens the possibility of the Pistons to trade Monroe for draft picks of established veterans.
9) Minnesota Timberwolves: CJ McCollum (SG Lehigh)
The Timberwolves are a team that is possibly one player away from making a move to get into the playoffs, and I believe that player could be Lehigh’s CJ McCollum. Minnesota does not have one player that they can just ask to score for them and create his own shot as well as create for others. Rubio can create shots for others but not himself and Kevin Love can shoot but is not going to do it on his own. McCollum is the best pure scorer in this draft hands down. He led his no name school to one of the biggest upsets in NCAA tournament history beating 2 seeded Duke. McCollum is the type of player that can take control of a game late if needed or can knock down shots after Rubio drives the lane and passes out to open shooters.
10) Portland Trail Blazers: Lucas Nogueria (C Brazil)
The Trail Blazers dont really need any position as soon as possible and thus can take a little bit of a risk on an international player that they can develop over the next year or two. Second year PG Damian Lillard will continue to develop and will still have his great arsenal of shooters surrounding him. Lamarcus Aldridge can help mold Nogueria into a defensive presence and make sure that he plays to every whistle.
11) Philadelphia 76ers: Kelly Olynyk (C Gonzaga)
Kelly Olynyk is one player that could be drafted anywhere in the first round outside of the top 5. Olynyk has great ball handling skills and could take his man off the dribble in the weak WAC conference. However, in the NBA everything happens faster. The players are faster and bigger and stronger. The whole game just moves quicker and might not allow for Olynyk to play his same style. Yet if Olynyk can make changes to his game to allow him to use his post presence a little more and improving his outside shot, he would be a great pick and pop player with Jrue Holliday.
12) Oklahoma City Thunder: Michael Carter-Williams (PG Syracuse)
With two of the best players in the NBA, and an injury away from playing for another NBA title, the Thunder still find them self with a lottery pick. As we saw with first the departure of James Harden, then with the injury to Russell Westbrook, There are very few players on this Thunder team that can control the ball and lead the offense. Carter-Williams would add a ball handler that would be able to set up Westbrook and Durant with terrific shots and is not afraid to take control and shot the ball himself.
13) Dallas Mavericks: Dennis Schroder (PG Germany)
One of the major problems that the Dallas Mavericks dealt with last year was the lack of a pure passer that can lead the team on the floor and make any pass in any situation. Schroder is still a work in progress and will take a year to learn the NBA game but I think will end up just like Ricky Rubio. With the help of superstar Dirk Nowitzki and scorer OJ Mayo, Schroder can quickly rise to the top of the Assist charts in the next few years.
14) Utah Jazz: Shane Larkin (PG Miami)
Ever since the Jazz traded Deron Williams for Devon Harris, the Jazz have not been the same. They have not had anyone to run the team on the floor let alone from the bench. Big man Al Jefferson is a great building block for the near future yet has the chance and opportunity to leave in free agency. With an all around point guard, such as Larkin, Jefferson could be enticed to stay. Some experts have Larkin as the best all around point guard in this draft. I personally have him third behind Burke and Carter-Williams but can defiantly be an all star in his career but will need some scoring help and should not be expected to lead the team in-anything but assists.
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