Nobody likes to be wishy-washy assessing the NBA Draft after it comes to its conclusion. Sports fans aren’t a fan of participation trophies or ties; they like winners, and love to point and laugh at the losers. So that’s what we’re here to do!
After the dust has settled, here’s what the stock ticker looks like for the biggest winners and losers on draft night.
WINNERS
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves showed how valuable it is to possess the No. 1 pick. Unlike other teams you’ll eventually find in the losers section, Minny had their choice of any player they wanted at the top of the draft. It just so happens that the highest rated player fills a need for Minnesota; Karl-Anthony Towns will step right into the starting lineup for the Wolves.
Sometimes, winning the draft is as simple as not screwing things up, but ‘Sota extracted some extra value out of their high second round picks and snagged Duke guard Tyus Jones in a trade with Cleveland. Excellent night for the Timberwolves.
New York Knicks
Yes, you’re reading that correctly. After months of making fun of Phil Jackson for his #goink rants on Twitter and apparent aversion to 3-point shooting, the Knicks came away winners in the draft.
You wouldn’t know it listening to the fans in attendance in Brooklyn — they booed the selection of Kristaps Porzingis unmercifully, unleashing on the poor Latvian who I can assume most (if not all) of them had never seen play. But the Knicks signaled something important by selecting Porzingis, establishing that they’re not in it for the quick fix. Rumors had swirled they were looking to trade out for instant help, but they took what’s likely to be the longest term project in the front end.
Jackson’s real stroke of genius came later, when he was able to swap Tim Hardaway Jr. straight up for the rights to Notre Dame guard Jerian Grant. Grant fits the “instant impact” archetype and was obtained for a role player who struggles at his role. Major win for the Knicks.
Denver Nuggets
Denver was reported throughout the day to be interested in Emmanuel Mudiay, who was linked to several teams in front of the Nuggets. While Philadelphia and Sacramento posed threats to take their man, the Nuggets eventually got their guy without moving an inch. This might make the Ty Lawson situation increasingly awkward over the coming weeks/months, but chasing Mudiay in the thin Denver air is going to be an opponent’s nightmare for years to come.
Miami Heat
I can’t figure out if Pat Riley harvests souls to sell to the devil or if he was born with a lucky horseshoe embedded in his ass, but what a freaking steal to get Justise Winslow at No. 10. Winslow played well enough down the stretch to generate top-3 buzz, and while the reality was always likely to be lower than that, Winslow is a versatile player who can help the Heat immediately.
LOSERS
D’Angelo Russell
Perhaps he’ll prove me wrong, but Kobe Bryant is the last guy I’d want to be “mentored” by as a young guard. There’s a lot Bryant could theoretically teach him, and Russell himself has said he wants to be taken under his wing, but color me skeptical of maniacal, old-man Kobe showing anybody the ropes earnestly. It has always been Bryant’s ball to dominate on the perimeter, and I remain skeptical that he’ll cede control to a teenager.
Atlanta Hawks
Perhaps they’ve watched a different Tim Hardaway Jr. than the rest of us have the last couple seasons, but he’s a “shooter” that hasn’t been very good at shooting. Maybe the Hawks voodoo from last season will rub off on him, and he’ll finally find the ability to match his desire to let it fly, but they would have been better off grabbing a contributor tonight. Trading back four spots and getting some value back was one thing, but unloading No. 19 for a fringe contributor at best is a headscratcher.
Boston Celtics
Boston opened up the “reach” portion of the draft with the selection of Terry Rozier at No. 16, and it didn’t get a whole lot better from there. R.J. Hunter probably saved the lot when Danny Ainge snagged him with the 28th pick, but the Celtics GM added to an underwhelming recent draft history with his other selections. It felt a lot like they struck out after trying to make big splashes all day, and it’s fair to wonder who the guy is that’s going to push this team forward from mediocrity into true relevance.
WHAT DO WE MAKE OF…
Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia stuck to their guns when presented with what will go down as the draft’s toughest choice, selecting the proverbial “Best Player Available” at No. 3, Jahlil Okafor. For someone who’s lauded for forward, outside-the-box thinking, Sam Hinkie made a very conventional pick, selecting a freshman National Champion, ACC Player of the Year and Naismith runner-up.
Considering team context, however, Okafor going to Philly creates a mess of a situation for a team trying to build things from the ground up. They’d seemingly identified two “core” pieces in Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid, who happen to play in the same real estate space as Okafor. Different problems are presented by keeping them all or allievating concerns with a trade; either you have to maximize their abilities in an imperfect setup, or maximize trade value when teams know you have a potential problem on your hands.
As always, this is a situation worth keeping an eye on. Say this for Hinkie — he never fails to be interesting.