Re-Drafting the 2013 NBA Draft

The 2013 NBA Draft wasn’t supposed to be very good. As June 27, 2013 approached, there was no consensus as to who the number one overall pick would be, and as a result, uncertainty filtered down throughout the entire first round.

As you may expect, things did not go particularly well for the team drafting in the top spot, but in the same breath, the 2013 class isn’t nearly as bad on the whole as many thought it would be. In this space, we will take a “re-do” on the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft, using three seasons of professional data to change the order for the better.

Teams like the Utah Jazz and Milwaukee Bucks (spoiler alert!) would not enjoy this exercise considering how well they did the first time around, but for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets (among others), this would represent a welcomed change to history. It should be noted that there is some level of projection still involved here, as many players in the 2013 class remain under the age of 25. That ensures that development and “upside” still matter to some extent, but in the case of other players in this class, we can safely punt.

Now, let’s get to the draft order, beginning with the Cavaliers in the top spot and moving down the board from there.

Next: #1 pick - Cavs