Xist's Draft Coverage, Lotto Edition
Posted: Wed Dec 11, 2019 11:27 am
So, once again a new season is upon us - and I need points! Yeah, I've known this for a while now, but when I say the apathy and lack of motivation is real, it's real. But back to the draft. This is probably one of the most low-key drafts in recent history. There's a serious lack of high-end talent overall, and a surplus of so-so green potential guys who will make a large part of the draft quite interesting indeed. Well, the lotto's already put the teams in order, and now it's time for the players to start falling off the board.
Action: The Los Angeles Lakers select Gary Loredo (Daniel Woodhouse) at #1
Reaction: First off, Los Angeles has to feel like the luckiest SOBs on earth after somehow managing to land two #1 picks in a row. After spending year after year either at the bottom of the standings or stuck in limbo, this team finally had a breakout year last season, making the playoffs and nearly pulling off an upset of the #2 seed. While it remains to be seen just how much of that sudden success was due to J.R. Johnson, the Lakers have to be considered a team that's trending up. That being said? I don't like this pick. I don't outright hate it, but generally you want your #1 pick to be a home run. This is a bunt.
As a talent, Loredo is pretty solid. He reminds me a lot of Kyle Kuzma, actually - killer athleticism, quality size, fair ball handling skills, all offense, no defense. He's not good enough of a prospect to be a #1 pick in a half decent draft, but this isn't a half decent draft, so he'll do. No, my problem is the fit. This isn't plugging a square peg into a round hole, on the contrary, the Lakers' squad is set up to where this is more like plugging a round peg into a round hole stuffed with three other round pegs. The Lakers already have Delmar Lopez and David Leiker, and it's a good bet that they're going to re-sign Dominic Cobb as well. Now while Leiker might have a future as a PG/combo guard, Lopez is basically Loredo with defensive intangibles (but not skills), and Cobb is a lesser version of both. So now the Lakers have a surplus of swingmen, and it'll get real expensive to keep them down the road. We've seen what stockpiling at one position can get you with the Jazz, and what it gets is one of your dudes traded. Now if the plan is to give Cobb the boot if he gets overpaid in RFA and roll with Lopez/Loredo as the perimeter duo of the future, then I apologize. If not, then I really have to question why the Lakers didn't look to trade this pick. I'm certain they would've gotten a nice return, and it's about the time for them to really start thinking about how to solidify and build around their core, rather than keep adding to it. Time will tell of course, but I'm not in love with this one, sorry.
Action: The Boston Celtics select Norris Turney at #2
Reaction: Literally anyone would've been a good pick for the ravaged Celtics, who are now staring a scorched-earth rebuild in the face after a couple of seasons of slinking around the room, desperately trying to avoid its withering glare. Well, maybe one guy wouldn't have been a good pick, but I'm sure we'll get to him later. Turney might've been a slightly (and I mean by a piece of a hair) better pick at #1 than Loredo due to being more balanced overall (and if that's not a damning statement of how meh the so-called "can't miss" talent of this draft is, I don't know what is). Turney can actually play defense, and is just as talented offensively to boot! However, he's an inch shorter (if that really matters), and is shockingly average athletically. 82 Quickness, 44 Strength, 57 Jump, and 43 Stamina is downright middle of the draft level athleticism, and will undoubtedly hold this guy back if he doesn't fix it in the gym. Unfortunately, I don't think he'll be under any pressure to in Boston, at least not now.
Action: The Phoenix Suns select Craig Brooks at #3
Reaction: Oh boy. Well, if anybody thought I was a little too harsh on the Laredo pick, then it's time to plug your ears and yell "la-la-la" at the top of your lungs, because I hate this pick. To start, Craig Brooks is raw. And not just any kind of raw, we're talking just bounced off the car roadkill raw. The kind of raw that doesn't just go undrafted, but heads straight overseas after the draft and is never seen or heard from again. Never ever. To put it (even more) bluntly, there is absolutely no way this kid should go #3, potential be damned. He'd have to have unprecedented growth over his rookie deal to even be worth giving garbage time to by the time he hits his contract year. What makes things even worse is that he actually doesn't project to be all that great. Offensively, all he can do is score in the post, that's it. All his potential is on the boards and defending the post, the list of what he can't do is longer than the list of what he can. I've seen many guys like him over the years, and while they can indeed mature into highly productive and efficient players, they will almost never evolve into a franchise changer, or even a reliable go-to option on a contender. They're the safest of safe bets, role players at worst, perpetually underrated at best. Brooks is a quintessential "stash" guy, best drafted by a contender (or fringe contender), who's somehow managed to grab a pick in the #7-15 range, and has absolutely no need for him until his rookie deal is up, ideally even a few years beyond that.
The Phoenix Suns are not that team. Currently stranded in their own rebuilding wasteland, Phoenix fans are still waiting for their Founding Fathers (+ Justin Rodriquez) to emerge and make Arizona great again. So for a team who's already been waiting for quite some time, and who already have basically their entire core in place, why take an incredibly blind shot on a fringe talent who may never develop into anything? Instead of drafting someone who could round out the team as a 6th man, or trading the pick for a vet who might be able to do for them what acquiring Devin Booker did for the Indiana Pacers, the Suns now have blown the 3rd overall pick on a virtual lock to fetch Gatorade for the bench mob over the next four years. Even in a weak draft, there's no excuse for that.
Action: The Detroit Pistons select Cerdito Schwein-Varken (Jonathan Lewis) at #4
Reaction: Detroit's another franchise who's going to be happy with whoever they get, because they don't have anyone! Well, they have Eckbert Winkler, but he's probably going to be traded to the first sucker who asks. CVS is basically Loredo Jr., with the added bonus of slight perimeter defensive potential. Considering Loredo went #1, the Pistons should feel pretty darn good about getting a discount version of him at #4. So yeah, all good here.
Action: Philadelphia 76ers select Myles Powell (John Jenkins) at #5
Reaction: I straight-up don't understand this one. The Sixers already have their 1-2 punch in Azubuike and Sabo, so I can understand why they wouldn't really view this as a vital pick. But what I don't get is how they came to the conclusion that this guy was worth spending their pick on. Powell's a typical catch-and-shoot guard with high offensive potential, a surprising nose for the ball on the defensive glass, and pathetic athleticism. I mean, he has a nice vertical, but everywhere else...he's honestly better suited for small forward as opposed to shooting guard. But at 6'4", that's far from the ideal spot for him. Adding to all that, he's quite raw, and probably won't be ready to contribute anything of significance until year 2 at the earliest. This is a bit of a waste, honestly. I'm sure Philly could've gotten more value in a trade as opposed to what they now have in Powell.
Action: The Golden State Warriors select Ronald Haile at #6
Reaction: This isn't as big a win for Golden State as you might think after watching Philly blow it right above them. Man, I really hate to be so negative, but I'm really not excited when I look at these guys, and they don't seem to be going into the best situations. Haile's your typical small forward with some upside. He can literally jump out the gym, which will definitely help mask his lack of range and poor ball handling skills. He's also pretty quick too, which, combined with his slightly better potential as a perimeter defender than a post one, will be of utmost importance to the Warriors going forward. See, they already have their forward of the future in Jordan Johnson. So they really need Haile to make the transition to the 2-guard slot sooner rather than later. If he can't, then Golden State will have to jettison one or risk tying up money in redundancy. And given that Johnson projects to be a top 10 player in the league one day, it'll probably be Haile packing up and heading out.
Action: The Denver Nuggets select Michael Thomas (Emory Beaumont) at #7
Reaction: Man, we're only at #7? Jeez. And wasn't this guy a wide receiver or something? I don't know, this was probably not the best choice for a blatant "gimme points" article. Wait, now I'm looking at his profile and it says "Miguel Thomas"...what? Anyway, Mr. Thomas marks the official beginning of the sea of decent potential players that make up the majority of this draft. Yes, we are at #7, that's just the kind of draft this is. I do really like Mr. Thomas though, he's got a lot of the qualities I love to see: deceptively quick for his size, excellent defensive intangibles, solid on the boards, and good post presence offensively and defensively. I'm hesitant to say that he has star potential, but I know from experience that guys like him can be vital pieces to any team, not just contenders. For a team like the Nuggets, who seem to be in flux right now with Jerry West's contract status in the air, a guy who can just go out there and produce is very welcome.
Action: The Dallas Mavericks select Bison Beecee (Burt Gibson) at #8
Reaction: …Meh? Beecee's primary benefit is his height. At 6'7", he has great size for his position (shooting guard), and that hasn't diminished his athleticism any, either. Usually when we see big guards, we also see a lack of athleticism or raw skill as a trade-off for the height. Beecee has the athleticism, so what about the skills? He's just...okay, I guess. Nothing really stands out, though in an age of poor ball handlers, the fact that he at least shows some promise in that area is good. What he lacks, though, is defensive ability, which makes him pretty one dimensional at the end of the day. But here's the kicker - the Mavs already have a better version of him on their roster, reigning Rookie of the Year Geoff Rickly. What is it with these lotto teams drafting near replicas of what they already have? Like Beecee, Rickly also has no defensive ability whatsoever, so Beecee needs to hit the gym and practice defense (because there is a glimmer of promise there - more than Rickly at least) in preparation for a move to small forward if he wants to have any future in Dallas beyond backing up Rickly.
Action: The Vancouver Grizzlies select Felix Ireland at #9
Reaction: Sigh...yet another team grabbing someone they don't really need. The Grizzlies already have Elisha Davis and Jack Fredericks at the power forward slot, why the hell are they taking a (listed) power forward here? Getting to the actual player in question, Ireland's a big boy at 7 feet who pretty much is exactly what you think he is - a solid big. There's really nothing else to say other than he's far too slow to succeed at his listed position, so a move to center is imminent (as if being drafted by a team with two young power forwards wasn't already a clue). What's interesting is that this seems to indicate that the Grizzlies may not look to keep the reigning Defensive Player of the Year James Kirkendall - which actually isn't that surprising given how management has treated him ever since his breakout season in 2028. So yeah, another questionable pick for a team with questions already present.
Action: The New York Knicks select Kevin Stephan at #10
Reaction: See, this is a pick that I can get behind. The Knicks already have James Barton at small forward and Odell Rasberry at point guard, so what they do? Draft at center with their lotto pick. It's not that hard, guys. It helps that I'm a fan of Stephan, who reminds me a lot of guys like Thomas Minter. Stephen's a multitalented offensive big who has good rebounding and defensive instincts. Those instincts also give the Knicks an interesting option - if you were to focus on developing Stephan's quickness early on, he might excel as a power forward. The big downside is that if they really want to do something with him, they'd better do it fast, as he's already 23. I like this pick, which is something I feel that I haven't been able to say very often.
Action: The Miami Heat select Kerry Powell at #11
Reaction: Whoa, two straight picks that fill a need? It's like they're actually trying to get me to analyze these picks instead of snarking endlessly. Powell's an average prospect who fits in nicely with the Heat's future trio of Guyer, Dart, and McWhite. Like Guyer, Powell gives an added inside touch to further compliment Dart and McWhite's midrange and outside shooting touches. As far as overall potential goes, Powell isn't quite as raw as Brooks, but has a far lower ceiling, despite his superior offensive potential overall. I'd like to think that means that Powell has a better chance of actually realizing his potential, but who knows. Honestly, Brooks and Powell are quite similar to me, and it'll be interesting to see how they both develop over time.
Action: The Cleveland Cavaliers select Andrew Luckey at #12
Reaction: Has anybody noticed that there's been no trades thus far? That's highly unusual in this league, where the offseason has become the biggest source of drama by far when it comes to player movement. One wonders if the momentum will shift back towards Day 60 and Trade Deadline player movement this season if GMs continue to take this offseason...well, off, then rush to make moves once they log back in and see how wacky their teams look after their absence. Anyway, back to the pick. Luckey's fairly interesting, as he appears to be a typical offensive small forward, but his speed and slight potential at defending other guards means that he might really have a future as a big guard...a really big guard at 6'9". That's actually great, but once again...the Cavs already have Chris Ridley slotted in as their shooting guard of the future! For the love of all that's good and pure in this life, how hard can it be to not waste a lotto pick on a position of negative need? I suppose you could try and take advantage of Ridley's passing skills and make him into a point guard, but his actual ball handling ability is so abysmally low that your only hope is that he might create more assists than turnovers, but in short, that's not his ideal position. His ideal position is shooting guard. Luckey's ideal position also may well be shooting guard. And thus, we have a potential conflict of interest, and yet another potentially wasted pick here.
Let me be honest for a second. I know y'all might look at my lopsided rosters with 500 big men and think that I'm being a huge hypocrite here, but most of those are (lucky) free agent signings that I pick up to bolster my roster in case of injuries, bad performance from players, and potential mismatches that require me to try out new rotations. I generally only have one player slotted in as the future of any given position, and if I do have overlap, it's due to the players being able to fill multiple roles, and thus, avoiding overlap by having guys who don't have to be stuck at one position if they pan out. Brooks and Shaffer are really both shooting guards, but Brooks can also play small forward well at his full potential. Shaffer can also play point guard well at his full potential. Do you see what I'm getting at? I'm not going to say that all overlap is bad, however, there comes a point where having too many guys is just wasteful. Drafting a guy who may only be able to really excel at a position that another (young) guy you have already fills (and may only be able to excel at in his own right) is okay if you're drafting from about pick 14 and below. But picks 1-13? No. If you can't use it, trade it and get something you can use in return. Because once you draft the guy, he's yours and may not be able to be flipped later on, due to not developing well because his growth has been stunted by his minutes being sapped by your already established talent. Now you've practically given another GM a borderline free player in RFA because you've drafted a player that you probably won't keep, even if he pans out. That's just not how you're supposed to use draft picks as a rebuilding team.
Action: The Atlanta Hawks select Ike Creighton at #13
Reaction: In truth, I've always been frightened by Wig. He's just so experienced and knowledgeable about how this game works that even when you feel good about a trade with him, or feel good about how your roster looks in comparison to his, there's something in the back of your mind telling you that you got hustled, or that you're not going to with the division or beat him in the playoffs, because he's just operating on a higher level than you are. With that being said, I can't be the only one to be a little sad to see the Hawks in the lotto via their own pick. And even though he does fill a position of dire need, especially if Pallies leaves, I can't be the only one who's not too hyped on Creighton. He has potential, but it's only in interior scoring and one side of the glass. His defensive intangibles are okay, but so is his post defense, and you never want post defense to be a question mark for your big man. The best thing about him is that his quickness allows him to easily slide over to power forward in case Pallies gets re-signed, once again proving my point about overlap and making this a good overall pick.
Action: The Sacramento Kings select Roderick Meehan at #14
Reaction: …I can't even. You already have Cano. You already have Yandell. You only have Scott Brown as your only notable big. Why, why would you take Meehan, who is low-key a terrible, offense-only player who will only ever be able to play shooting guard, a position already given to the all-around better prospect Cano? If I hadn't already hit the maximum amount of points I can get for this article and was about to quit anyway, this pick would definitely make me angry enough to.
So yeah, that's it for the lotto portion of this draft. I knew coming in that this draft was questionable, but I had no idea that it would not only be this uneventful, but this bad. There were way more poor choices than I expected to see, and it's a little disheartening to start the offseason off with this absolute pile of a draft. Anyway, I've hit the max, so any more would be a poor use of both my time and yours. Bye, and thanks for reading!
Action: The Los Angeles Lakers select Gary Loredo (Daniel Woodhouse) at #1
Reaction: First off, Los Angeles has to feel like the luckiest SOBs on earth after somehow managing to land two #1 picks in a row. After spending year after year either at the bottom of the standings or stuck in limbo, this team finally had a breakout year last season, making the playoffs and nearly pulling off an upset of the #2 seed. While it remains to be seen just how much of that sudden success was due to J.R. Johnson, the Lakers have to be considered a team that's trending up. That being said? I don't like this pick. I don't outright hate it, but generally you want your #1 pick to be a home run. This is a bunt.
As a talent, Loredo is pretty solid. He reminds me a lot of Kyle Kuzma, actually - killer athleticism, quality size, fair ball handling skills, all offense, no defense. He's not good enough of a prospect to be a #1 pick in a half decent draft, but this isn't a half decent draft, so he'll do. No, my problem is the fit. This isn't plugging a square peg into a round hole, on the contrary, the Lakers' squad is set up to where this is more like plugging a round peg into a round hole stuffed with three other round pegs. The Lakers already have Delmar Lopez and David Leiker, and it's a good bet that they're going to re-sign Dominic Cobb as well. Now while Leiker might have a future as a PG/combo guard, Lopez is basically Loredo with defensive intangibles (but not skills), and Cobb is a lesser version of both. So now the Lakers have a surplus of swingmen, and it'll get real expensive to keep them down the road. We've seen what stockpiling at one position can get you with the Jazz, and what it gets is one of your dudes traded. Now if the plan is to give Cobb the boot if he gets overpaid in RFA and roll with Lopez/Loredo as the perimeter duo of the future, then I apologize. If not, then I really have to question why the Lakers didn't look to trade this pick. I'm certain they would've gotten a nice return, and it's about the time for them to really start thinking about how to solidify and build around their core, rather than keep adding to it. Time will tell of course, but I'm not in love with this one, sorry.
Action: The Boston Celtics select Norris Turney at #2
Reaction: Literally anyone would've been a good pick for the ravaged Celtics, who are now staring a scorched-earth rebuild in the face after a couple of seasons of slinking around the room, desperately trying to avoid its withering glare. Well, maybe one guy wouldn't have been a good pick, but I'm sure we'll get to him later. Turney might've been a slightly (and I mean by a piece of a hair) better pick at #1 than Loredo due to being more balanced overall (and if that's not a damning statement of how meh the so-called "can't miss" talent of this draft is, I don't know what is). Turney can actually play defense, and is just as talented offensively to boot! However, he's an inch shorter (if that really matters), and is shockingly average athletically. 82 Quickness, 44 Strength, 57 Jump, and 43 Stamina is downright middle of the draft level athleticism, and will undoubtedly hold this guy back if he doesn't fix it in the gym. Unfortunately, I don't think he'll be under any pressure to in Boston, at least not now.
Action: The Phoenix Suns select Craig Brooks at #3
Reaction: Oh boy. Well, if anybody thought I was a little too harsh on the Laredo pick, then it's time to plug your ears and yell "la-la-la" at the top of your lungs, because I hate this pick. To start, Craig Brooks is raw. And not just any kind of raw, we're talking just bounced off the car roadkill raw. The kind of raw that doesn't just go undrafted, but heads straight overseas after the draft and is never seen or heard from again. Never ever. To put it (even more) bluntly, there is absolutely no way this kid should go #3, potential be damned. He'd have to have unprecedented growth over his rookie deal to even be worth giving garbage time to by the time he hits his contract year. What makes things even worse is that he actually doesn't project to be all that great. Offensively, all he can do is score in the post, that's it. All his potential is on the boards and defending the post, the list of what he can't do is longer than the list of what he can. I've seen many guys like him over the years, and while they can indeed mature into highly productive and efficient players, they will almost never evolve into a franchise changer, or even a reliable go-to option on a contender. They're the safest of safe bets, role players at worst, perpetually underrated at best. Brooks is a quintessential "stash" guy, best drafted by a contender (or fringe contender), who's somehow managed to grab a pick in the #7-15 range, and has absolutely no need for him until his rookie deal is up, ideally even a few years beyond that.
The Phoenix Suns are not that team. Currently stranded in their own rebuilding wasteland, Phoenix fans are still waiting for their Founding Fathers (+ Justin Rodriquez) to emerge and make Arizona great again. So for a team who's already been waiting for quite some time, and who already have basically their entire core in place, why take an incredibly blind shot on a fringe talent who may never develop into anything? Instead of drafting someone who could round out the team as a 6th man, or trading the pick for a vet who might be able to do for them what acquiring Devin Booker did for the Indiana Pacers, the Suns now have blown the 3rd overall pick on a virtual lock to fetch Gatorade for the bench mob over the next four years. Even in a weak draft, there's no excuse for that.
Action: The Detroit Pistons select Cerdito Schwein-Varken (Jonathan Lewis) at #4
Reaction: Detroit's another franchise who's going to be happy with whoever they get, because they don't have anyone! Well, they have Eckbert Winkler, but he's probably going to be traded to the first sucker who asks. CVS is basically Loredo Jr., with the added bonus of slight perimeter defensive potential. Considering Loredo went #1, the Pistons should feel pretty darn good about getting a discount version of him at #4. So yeah, all good here.
Action: Philadelphia 76ers select Myles Powell (John Jenkins) at #5
Reaction: I straight-up don't understand this one. The Sixers already have their 1-2 punch in Azubuike and Sabo, so I can understand why they wouldn't really view this as a vital pick. But what I don't get is how they came to the conclusion that this guy was worth spending their pick on. Powell's a typical catch-and-shoot guard with high offensive potential, a surprising nose for the ball on the defensive glass, and pathetic athleticism. I mean, he has a nice vertical, but everywhere else...he's honestly better suited for small forward as opposed to shooting guard. But at 6'4", that's far from the ideal spot for him. Adding to all that, he's quite raw, and probably won't be ready to contribute anything of significance until year 2 at the earliest. This is a bit of a waste, honestly. I'm sure Philly could've gotten more value in a trade as opposed to what they now have in Powell.
Action: The Golden State Warriors select Ronald Haile at #6
Reaction: This isn't as big a win for Golden State as you might think after watching Philly blow it right above them. Man, I really hate to be so negative, but I'm really not excited when I look at these guys, and they don't seem to be going into the best situations. Haile's your typical small forward with some upside. He can literally jump out the gym, which will definitely help mask his lack of range and poor ball handling skills. He's also pretty quick too, which, combined with his slightly better potential as a perimeter defender than a post one, will be of utmost importance to the Warriors going forward. See, they already have their forward of the future in Jordan Johnson. So they really need Haile to make the transition to the 2-guard slot sooner rather than later. If he can't, then Golden State will have to jettison one or risk tying up money in redundancy. And given that Johnson projects to be a top 10 player in the league one day, it'll probably be Haile packing up and heading out.
Action: The Denver Nuggets select Michael Thomas (Emory Beaumont) at #7
Reaction: Man, we're only at #7? Jeez. And wasn't this guy a wide receiver or something? I don't know, this was probably not the best choice for a blatant "gimme points" article. Wait, now I'm looking at his profile and it says "Miguel Thomas"...what? Anyway, Mr. Thomas marks the official beginning of the sea of decent potential players that make up the majority of this draft. Yes, we are at #7, that's just the kind of draft this is. I do really like Mr. Thomas though, he's got a lot of the qualities I love to see: deceptively quick for his size, excellent defensive intangibles, solid on the boards, and good post presence offensively and defensively. I'm hesitant to say that he has star potential, but I know from experience that guys like him can be vital pieces to any team, not just contenders. For a team like the Nuggets, who seem to be in flux right now with Jerry West's contract status in the air, a guy who can just go out there and produce is very welcome.
Action: The Dallas Mavericks select Bison Beecee (Burt Gibson) at #8
Reaction: …Meh? Beecee's primary benefit is his height. At 6'7", he has great size for his position (shooting guard), and that hasn't diminished his athleticism any, either. Usually when we see big guards, we also see a lack of athleticism or raw skill as a trade-off for the height. Beecee has the athleticism, so what about the skills? He's just...okay, I guess. Nothing really stands out, though in an age of poor ball handlers, the fact that he at least shows some promise in that area is good. What he lacks, though, is defensive ability, which makes him pretty one dimensional at the end of the day. But here's the kicker - the Mavs already have a better version of him on their roster, reigning Rookie of the Year Geoff Rickly. What is it with these lotto teams drafting near replicas of what they already have? Like Beecee, Rickly also has no defensive ability whatsoever, so Beecee needs to hit the gym and practice defense (because there is a glimmer of promise there - more than Rickly at least) in preparation for a move to small forward if he wants to have any future in Dallas beyond backing up Rickly.
Action: The Vancouver Grizzlies select Felix Ireland at #9
Reaction: Sigh...yet another team grabbing someone they don't really need. The Grizzlies already have Elisha Davis and Jack Fredericks at the power forward slot, why the hell are they taking a (listed) power forward here? Getting to the actual player in question, Ireland's a big boy at 7 feet who pretty much is exactly what you think he is - a solid big. There's really nothing else to say other than he's far too slow to succeed at his listed position, so a move to center is imminent (as if being drafted by a team with two young power forwards wasn't already a clue). What's interesting is that this seems to indicate that the Grizzlies may not look to keep the reigning Defensive Player of the Year James Kirkendall - which actually isn't that surprising given how management has treated him ever since his breakout season in 2028. So yeah, another questionable pick for a team with questions already present.
Action: The New York Knicks select Kevin Stephan at #10
Reaction: See, this is a pick that I can get behind. The Knicks already have James Barton at small forward and Odell Rasberry at point guard, so what they do? Draft at center with their lotto pick. It's not that hard, guys. It helps that I'm a fan of Stephan, who reminds me a lot of guys like Thomas Minter. Stephen's a multitalented offensive big who has good rebounding and defensive instincts. Those instincts also give the Knicks an interesting option - if you were to focus on developing Stephan's quickness early on, he might excel as a power forward. The big downside is that if they really want to do something with him, they'd better do it fast, as he's already 23. I like this pick, which is something I feel that I haven't been able to say very often.
Action: The Miami Heat select Kerry Powell at #11
Reaction: Whoa, two straight picks that fill a need? It's like they're actually trying to get me to analyze these picks instead of snarking endlessly. Powell's an average prospect who fits in nicely with the Heat's future trio of Guyer, Dart, and McWhite. Like Guyer, Powell gives an added inside touch to further compliment Dart and McWhite's midrange and outside shooting touches. As far as overall potential goes, Powell isn't quite as raw as Brooks, but has a far lower ceiling, despite his superior offensive potential overall. I'd like to think that means that Powell has a better chance of actually realizing his potential, but who knows. Honestly, Brooks and Powell are quite similar to me, and it'll be interesting to see how they both develop over time.
Action: The Cleveland Cavaliers select Andrew Luckey at #12
Reaction: Has anybody noticed that there's been no trades thus far? That's highly unusual in this league, where the offseason has become the biggest source of drama by far when it comes to player movement. One wonders if the momentum will shift back towards Day 60 and Trade Deadline player movement this season if GMs continue to take this offseason...well, off, then rush to make moves once they log back in and see how wacky their teams look after their absence. Anyway, back to the pick. Luckey's fairly interesting, as he appears to be a typical offensive small forward, but his speed and slight potential at defending other guards means that he might really have a future as a big guard...a really big guard at 6'9". That's actually great, but once again...the Cavs already have Chris Ridley slotted in as their shooting guard of the future! For the love of all that's good and pure in this life, how hard can it be to not waste a lotto pick on a position of negative need? I suppose you could try and take advantage of Ridley's passing skills and make him into a point guard, but his actual ball handling ability is so abysmally low that your only hope is that he might create more assists than turnovers, but in short, that's not his ideal position. His ideal position is shooting guard. Luckey's ideal position also may well be shooting guard. And thus, we have a potential conflict of interest, and yet another potentially wasted pick here.
Let me be honest for a second. I know y'all might look at my lopsided rosters with 500 big men and think that I'm being a huge hypocrite here, but most of those are (lucky) free agent signings that I pick up to bolster my roster in case of injuries, bad performance from players, and potential mismatches that require me to try out new rotations. I generally only have one player slotted in as the future of any given position, and if I do have overlap, it's due to the players being able to fill multiple roles, and thus, avoiding overlap by having guys who don't have to be stuck at one position if they pan out. Brooks and Shaffer are really both shooting guards, but Brooks can also play small forward well at his full potential. Shaffer can also play point guard well at his full potential. Do you see what I'm getting at? I'm not going to say that all overlap is bad, however, there comes a point where having too many guys is just wasteful. Drafting a guy who may only be able to really excel at a position that another (young) guy you have already fills (and may only be able to excel at in his own right) is okay if you're drafting from about pick 14 and below. But picks 1-13? No. If you can't use it, trade it and get something you can use in return. Because once you draft the guy, he's yours and may not be able to be flipped later on, due to not developing well because his growth has been stunted by his minutes being sapped by your already established talent. Now you've practically given another GM a borderline free player in RFA because you've drafted a player that you probably won't keep, even if he pans out. That's just not how you're supposed to use draft picks as a rebuilding team.
Action: The Atlanta Hawks select Ike Creighton at #13
Reaction: In truth, I've always been frightened by Wig. He's just so experienced and knowledgeable about how this game works that even when you feel good about a trade with him, or feel good about how your roster looks in comparison to his, there's something in the back of your mind telling you that you got hustled, or that you're not going to with the division or beat him in the playoffs, because he's just operating on a higher level than you are. With that being said, I can't be the only one to be a little sad to see the Hawks in the lotto via their own pick. And even though he does fill a position of dire need, especially if Pallies leaves, I can't be the only one who's not too hyped on Creighton. He has potential, but it's only in interior scoring and one side of the glass. His defensive intangibles are okay, but so is his post defense, and you never want post defense to be a question mark for your big man. The best thing about him is that his quickness allows him to easily slide over to power forward in case Pallies gets re-signed, once again proving my point about overlap and making this a good overall pick.
Action: The Sacramento Kings select Roderick Meehan at #14
Reaction: …I can't even. You already have Cano. You already have Yandell. You only have Scott Brown as your only notable big. Why, why would you take Meehan, who is low-key a terrible, offense-only player who will only ever be able to play shooting guard, a position already given to the all-around better prospect Cano? If I hadn't already hit the maximum amount of points I can get for this article and was about to quit anyway, this pick would definitely make me angry enough to.
So yeah, that's it for the lotto portion of this draft. I knew coming in that this draft was questionable, but I had no idea that it would not only be this uneventful, but this bad. There were way more poor choices than I expected to see, and it's a little disheartening to start the offseason off with this absolute pile of a draft. Anyway, I've hit the max, so any more would be a poor use of both my time and yours. Bye, and thanks for reading!