NBA Draft 2019: Winners and losers

BROOKLYN, NY - JUNE 20: Ja Morant looks on after being selected second overall by the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2019 NBA Draft on June 20, 2019 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Melanie Fidler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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BROOKLYN, NY – JUNE 20: Brandon Clarke speaks to the media after being selected twenty-first by the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2019 NBA Draft on June 20, 2019 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Melanie Fidler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Loser No. 2: Brandon Clarke and Grant Williams’ long slide

We always knew this was going to happen. Williams hasn’t had the same interest from NBA teams that a majority of draft analysts gave him, thanks to his 6-foot-5 stature and lack of go-to shooting threat. Clarke, meanwhile, has shooting and length concerns, and his age certainly doesn’t help things. But them going 21st and 22nd? After Hachimura and Herro were taken? That’s extreme.

The free-falls of Williams and Clarke go to show that the NBA still doesn’t value decision-making and processing ability as much as they should, despite what we see year in and year out in the playoffs. The real avenues to upside and maximizing your ability are being able to process the game quickly and help capitalize on opponent mistakes, which Williams and Clarke are both great at. Instead, players like Cam Reddish (who has significant concerns here), and Tyler Herro (whose athletic indicators are far worse than Clarke and Williams’s supposed issues) are going high on the mask of the “upside” their athleticism and tools indicate. It’s frustrating to see, especially because the difference between going 13th like Herro and 21st like Clarke ends up being several million dollars in career earnings.

Both Williams and Clarke landed in pretty optimal situations for themselves, to be fair — Clarke in Memphis, playing off Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant, and Williams in the Brad Stevens try-hard borg in Boston — but it’s disappointing to see two top-ten prospects in our rankings fall that low in a draft that wasn’t that deep, despite clear indications that they should be valuable at the next level.

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