2015 NBA Draft Needs: One and Dones
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The first round of the NBA Playoffs has come and gone, which means eight more teams have begun their offseason plans.
The draft can be a helpful tool in adding a rotation player for teams, even for those that were ousted early in the postseason. Normally, these teams find themselves in the 15-25 range, making their odds of drafting a franchise cornerstone slim-to-none. There is still good value to be found, however, especially in a draft of his calibre.
After looking at the lottery teams and who they should target in the 2015 NBA Draft, it’s time to move on to the teams that were sent packing after the first few weeks of playoff action.
(Note: The number next to the team’s name is the rank they finished after the regular season was over. Unlike the lottery teams, it doesn’t necessarily represent where their highest pick is going to be.)
15. BROOKLYN NETS
Needs: SG, SF
Picks: 29 (from ATL), 41
The Nets are in the early stages of their draft suffering process. In 2014, they lost their pick to the Celtics from the Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett trade. This year, they’re swapping picks with the Hawks thanks to the Joe Johnson trade. They won’t have a first round pick in 2016 or 2018, and the Celtics can swap picks with Brooklyn in 2017.
The silver lining is that the Nets have drafted well in recent years with their lower picks. Mason Plumlee (22nd in 2013) has blossomed into a solid starter, Markel Brown (2014 second rounder) started in two games for them in the playoffs, and Bojan Bogdanovic (31st in 2011) started 28 games in the 2014-15 season.
The last few picks in the first round have the worst value on average. The contracts are still guaranteed but the players aren’t of the same talent level as the top prospects. Teams can get similar players in the first few picks of the second round, with the caveat being that contracts aren’t guaranteed.
Because of this, we’ve seen teams in recent years draft players to be stashed in the D-League or Europe. Several of the borderline first round foreign guys in this draft are George Lucas, Timothe Luwawu, Aleksandar Vezenkov, and Nikola Milutinov. Given their track record of drafting and developing overseas wings into rotation players, Timothe Luwawu might be the best option for the Nets.
16. BOSTON CELTICS
Needs: SF, PF
Picks: 16, 28 (from LAC), 33 (from MIA), 45
The Celtics benefit from having two first round picks thanks to the Doc Rivers trade they made two offseasons ago.
Danny Ainge has shown a few tendencies when tooled with multiple first round picks in the past. First, he likes to take a prospect he knows will contribute from day one. Then, he normally rolls the dice on someone who’s more of a project. We saw this last year with Marcus Smart and James Young, who spent most of the year in the D-League, and with their back-to-back picks in 2012, Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo (no longer in the NBA).
Brad Stevens has become one of the best coaches in the NBA, leading a team full of unproven role players to the playoffs in his second season as head coach. His system is built on pushing the ball and spreading the floor, where everyone has the green light to shoot threes. The Celtics played at one of the fastest paces in the NBA in 2014-15, making it a need to draft someone who can play at a high tempo.
At No. 16, Trey Lyles gives them a prospect who can play both forward spots and spread the floor with his ability to knock down mid range jump shots at a high clip. For No. 28, Robert Upshaw and Cliff Alexander are players with bad reputations but great potential as shot blockers, something the Celtics lacked last season. Drafting either player would play right into the trend Ainge has of drafting unpopular players.
17. MILWAUKEE BUCKS
Needs: SG, SF
Picks: 17, 46
After having the worst record in the league in 2014, Milwaukee turned their franchise around in just one year, making the playoffs and taking the Bulls to six games. Even after changing the personnel of their team in the middle of the season by acquiring Michael Carter-Williams, Milwaukee maintained its defensive identity, finishing second in efficiency on that end of the court.
First year head coach Jason Kidd implemented an aggressive defensive scheme that utilized the eye-popping length of the players on their roster, much of which was predicated on over-helping and cheating into passing lanes.
The name that immediately comes to mind when thinking of a versatile player with a long wingspan is Kevon Looney. Looney has the positional versatility that Kidd likes in his players to go along with the fifth longest wingspan at the Draft Combine this year (7-3.5).
18. NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Needs: PG, SF, C
Picks: 56 (from MEM)
New Orleans traded their only first round pick to the Rockets last summer for Omer Asik. That won’t factor too heavily into their future success, however, as their centerpieces are already set in stone.
The Pelicans are faced with an interesting offseasons, which began with the firing of head coach Monty Williams. From who they hire to who they bring in for the roster, it is crucial this summer for the front office to mold the franchise around their young superstar, Anthony Davis. The group needs to feed off of Davis’ strengths and put him into positions to be successful.
The Pelicans might be able to trade a few of their key players like Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, and Ryan Anderson for a first round pick, but at this point in their team’s development, it would shock me if they saw that as a solution.
20. TORONTO RAPTORS
Needs: SG, SF, PF, C
Picks: 20
Toronto is in for a rough offseason. They have a few key free agents in sixth man of the year Louis Williams and starter Amir Johnson, and the future of core guys such as DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas are uncertain. None of those players are tied to second year Masai Ujiri, and the feeling is that there is very little holding the general manager back from pressing the reset button for this roster.
The Raptors’ defensive system is similar to Milwaukee’s, they just don’t have the personnel and skill sets to accomplish it. Adding those type of players in the draft might help their defense, which ranked near the bottom in efficiency this season.
Since the Raptors are on the prowl for a solid wing to pair with DeRozan, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is a long, athletic forward who fits the profile this team needs. Looney is also a possibility at 20, as are Bobby Portis and Trey Lyles.
21. DALLAS MAVERICKS
Needs: PG, SG, C
Picks: 21, 52
Just like Toronto, Dallas has a tumultuous offseason ahead of themselves. Rajon Rondo, Monta Ellis, and Tyson Chandler all have the options of becoming free agents, and we already know that Rondo won’t be returning next year. The point guard position was already a huge hole for Dallas this season thanks to Rondo severely underperforming and Devin Harris missing games due to an injury.
The good news is there are a few point guards that are projected to be available in this range — Jerian Grant, Tyus Jones, and Cameron Payne — each of whom are savvy passers that would fit well in the heavy pick and roll offense that coach Rick Carlisle has constructed.
I personally would lean towards Cameron Payne because he is the better shooter of the three, making him capable of spotting up around any other action the Mavs might run.
23. PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS
Needs: SG, SF, PF
Picks: 23
Continuing with the trend of teams with scary offseasons ahead of them, Portland faces the possibility of losing three of their five starters in Wes Matthews, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Robin Lopez, along with key reserve Arron Afflalo.
This was a team that I personally felt was a title contender this season until the devastating injury to Wesley Matthews happened after the All-Star break. They lost rather handily to the Grizzlies in round one, and rumors are now swirling on who is supposedly leaving and who might be staying.
The Blazers love shooters and already have players capable of breaking defenses down in Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. If Wes were to leave, that would create a huge hole on the roster for a prospect who can hit spot up shots and guard the perimeter. At No. 23, R.J. Hunter and Justin Anderson are the best bets to try and fill that possible void. While both are knock down shooters, Anderson played in a stout defensive system at Virginia, making him appealing on that end of the floor.
26. SAN ANTONIO SPURS
Needs: SG, SF, C
Picks: 26, 55
Seeing as almost every team on here is faced with a rocky offseason, why not end with another team in the same boat?
It seems weird that the ever-consistent Spurs are going to possibly have a lot of roster turnover, but with Danny Green, Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard, and Tim Duncan all hitting free agency at the same time, it is going to be very difficult.
The first domino to fall for them will be whether or not Manu and/or Timmy retire. After they figure out who is returning, signing Green and Leonard (who they have the right to match) should be their priority in free agency, seeing as they are both key young pieces to their championship core.
Few teams in NBA history routinely draft as well as the Spurs — they always happen to get the most out of every player they select. The two skills they value in their system are passing and shooting. Even though I’ve thrown Anderson’s name around with other teams, this seems to be the team that would be the best match for the Virginia forward.
The Spurs also have a track record of drafting foreign players and stashing them overseas, making the likes of Vezenkov, Luwawu, Milutinov, and Guillermo Hernangomez possibilities at No. 26. Given that the Spurs are reportedly interested in signing LaMarcus Aldridge, this approach is the most likely possibility.